Councillors told the latest Development Assessment Committee they believed the yard would become a hazard for the Bungaree Primary School across the road and was not appropriate for a farm-zoned property close to a town.

The 5.4 hectares of land on Bungaree-Wallace Road was once a timber business.

It is bounded by a now-pulled-up railway line and a Western Freeway truck stop to the north, but access can only be gained via the main street of Bungaree - where it has more than 140 metres of frontage.

The rejected proposal included an existing office with showers for drivers, five 14 metre high grain silos and a 575 square metre workshop for servicing vehicles.

It also outlined a 10 metre wide driveway that would accommodate trucks up to 36 metres in length.

Councillors were told staff would use the office 7am-6pm weekdays, but most freight operations would happen between 3am and 10pm.

Twenty-four hour freight access was also required for occasional late arrivals after long-haul trips.

Council staff recommended that the application be refused because of the impact on neighbours, but Cr Paul Tatchell unsuccessfully moved that the permit be granted with a long list of conditions.

Seven objections were submitted against the proposal, concerned about noise, light pollution at night, traffic hazards and the safety of students.

One objector was concerned that Bungaree had no footpaths and pedestrians would be sharing the road with B-double trucks.

The application was also referred to several agencies including Central Highlands Water, Agriculture Victoria and the Environmental Protection Authority.

Council staff said the agencies raised issues such as environmental management, the storage and spillage of fuels and lubricants, gross pollutants, stormwater and future use of the site.

Bungaree, Wallace and Mount Warrenheip are part of the catchment for Lal Lal Reservoir.

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